


Cared For

by 1Zukoneedsafamily2



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Broken Bones (mention), Dick doesn't have wings, Dick isn't a large part of this story sorry, Enemy to Caretaker, Gen, Jason Todd has Wings, Teen Titans Issue 29, Tim Drake has wings, Tim is scared the whole time, Whump, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 14:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30140934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Zukoneedsafamily2/pseuds/1Zukoneedsafamily2
Summary: Jason smirked as he stood over The Replacement. He stroked the feathers of the splayed-out wings, before he gripped a group of feathers and yanked. Not hard enough to pull out feathers but he wanted him awake when the fun started.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 18
Kudos: 137
Collections: Red Hood vs Red Robin





	Cared For

Jason smirked as he stood over The Replacement. He stroked the feathers of the splayed-out wings, before he gripped a group of feathers and _yanked_. Not hard enough to pull out feathers but he wanted him awake when the fun started.

Replacement startled out of the chair and he fell to the floor because Jason's hand in his wing had stopped him short. Jason chuckled softly and let go. 

"Run." He snarled. He wanted a chase.

The Replacement moved fast. He hadn't been prepared for that. He'd thought post mission that The Replacement would have been slowed down. But clearly, he was just as speedy as ever. But he'd made one mistake.

The Replacement had backed himself into a stairwell and he got up on the railing and slipped. Jason felt a smile grace his face and he heard a _Crack_ as the little bird fell. He watched the crippled bird catch himself on a railing, and he couldn't hear the _Pop_ of his shoulder being dislocated, but it was oh so sweet to watch. He had more than enough time to jog down the stairs to The Replacement. 

The Replacement had just gotten himself up and over the railing when Jason was only one set of stairs away from him. Jason slowed to watch him crawl to the door and escape into a room. Clearly, when The Replacement had fallen he'd broken his leg.

He followed the Replacement through the door. He frowned when he saw the room was full of furniture to hide behind. A game room perhaps? It didn't matter. It made the chase more interesting.

"Little bird little come out come out wherever you are!"

He caught sight of the Replacement moving towards an open window and then The Replacement is gone. He fell out the window.

Gutsy move Replacement had pulled. He'd gotten around his broken leg by falling out the window. 

It's dangerous to fly if your legs can't support the landing. Jason thinks it'll be a fun show to watch.

Jason had gone down to look for the Replacement so he could keep up the game and at first it was thrilling but after almost an hour he had cooled off enough that when he spotted the orange and brown flecked feathers of one wing sticking out of a dumpster. He felt a rush of relief as he hurried over and looked inside. Tim had landed on top of one wing to cushion his fall into the dumpster.

That wing didn't look so good. It was bloody and looked broken in one spot. He felt his wings ache in sympathy. He remembered when he'd felt his wings, so carefully hidden, break.

He pulled Replace-Tim out of the dumpster and frowned, deciding between setting Tim's wing or taking him to a safehouse and doing it there. He didn't have anything on him to do it with and Tim was out of uniform so he didn't have anything either. He resigned himself to drag Tim to the safe house.

* * *

Tim's head felt fuzzy. He remembered falling-crashing-then nothing. He tried to remember why falling? Leg broke because of … Jason. Fingers in his feathers sharp pain. He still felt the fingers there was no pain but there had been no pain the last time then _yank_ . His eyes snapped open and looked at the fingers in his wing. Then the arm up to the face. _Jason_ had his fingers in his wings he was going to _yank_. 

Tim pulled his wing in and it hurt oh how it _hurt_ . He looked at Jason holding his wing close and then looked at the floor. There were blood and feathers, _his feathers_ . _Jason_ had pulled out some of _his feathers_.

Jason backed up and held his hands up. "Sorry I was just pulling out the broken ones." _Liar_.

"Hey I'm making food do you have a preference?"

"...No" Tim says softly. He was still so tired he didn't have the energy for making decisions. He wasn't sure Jason wouldn't just make what he wanted anyways.

Jason stood up and walked to the kitchen. He started pulling down pots and pans.

Tim watched from the couch. He couldn't walk to the island and Jason wouldn't help him. Not that he'd asked either. He didn't need Jason to look at him as if he was a nuisance. He didn't want to make Jason take back his new eerie kindness.

So he craned his head to watch Jason cook. It didn't look like he was putting anything suspicious in the food (Not that Tim would know if Jason did). 

At some point, his eyes had closed. He was woken up by Jason poking his cheek, ”Wake up” and handing him a bowl of spaghetti. He looked at the bowl looked at Jason looked back down at the bowl and muttered "Thanks" 

He moved the meatballs around in the bowl idly while he watched Jason eat with such intensity the man had paused and looked up at Tim. Tim looked back at his bowl of spaghetti and his hand started trembling.

He didn't start eating until well after Jason had finished.

* * *

“Tim. Your wings need to be groomed.” Jason was standing on the other end of the couch by his feet. Tim was prepared for Jason to grab his broken leg and squeeze.

“I know. But I can’t do it by myself.” Shit! Why did he say that? Jason will take that as an ask for help he doesn’t _want_ Jason’s help. It was his worst nightmare infact. Wing grooming was never pleasant but with Jason? He'd make it _hurt_ on purpose. Jason wasn't nice like Alfred was. Alfred was always sorry when he hit a particularly bad spot but Jason wouldn't be and it would be awful.

“I can help. I do have wings and I know how to groom an injured wing. I promise I’ll be gentle.” Oh and Tim was sure he’d be _‘gentle’_.

“Fine” **_NO!_ ** He scoots down the couch so Jason has room to sit behind him and groom his wings. Tim was trembling. He always hated having his wings groomed. It always _hurts_ . Jason's fingers were gentle in his wings but it didn't soothe Tim at all. It should have but all he could think about was Jason plucking his feathers out one by one. He wanted to cry. It hadn't been that long he knew logically. But it had felt like _hours_ were passing in between each stroke of his feathers.

Tim felt tears run down his cheeks and he didn't know why. It wasn't _hurting_ . But it should have. It should have because it _always hurts_. Tim didn't know he was letting out such loud noises while he was crying until he felt Jason touch his face, his hands in his hair. He knew the pain would come. It always came. The hand just stayed on his face and the hand in his hair was... petting. He was being pet. By Jason.

Tim took big gulping breaths trying to stop sobbing and he just couldn't and the hand in his hair and the hand pulling him close to Jason were just making it worse. And then he was being held and shushed and he didn't know what to do so he clinged to Jason sure it would end all too soon. And then Jason would hurt him for being useless. He couldn't even sit to get his wings groomed without becoming an inconsolable mess.

He cried until it became hiccups and sniffles and he wanted to get away but it was so _comfy_ right _here_. He felt his eyes close and he was out like a light.

Tim woke up with a box on his chest and his wings looking the best they'd ever looked. The box was small. No bigger than the length of his palm and just as wide. When he opened it. He found his feathers. Collected and put together. He'd heard of Winged doing this. Saving their feathers. He'd never done it because well... His feathers always looked so ugly but these in this box were the nicest looking of the bunch that had been cleaned out of his wings. Not plucked. He didn't feel any pain in his wings. He wanted to cry all over again. He didn't have the energy.

He curled around the box and fell back asleep.

* * *

Jason had his info he'd gathered on the kid. He had wanted to know more about the kid who had replaced him. He hadn't expected it to make his plans worse than originally intended. But well it had and now he felt awful about it.

He had it all spread out and... God looking at it all again he can see why the kid reacted the way he did. The kid's wings were never really groomed properly. Always just enough that they looked fine. 

But Jason knew he could tell from the color of the feathers he'd found yesterday and looking at these pictures that those wings were dirty. And knotted. 

His parents didn't have wings and they weren't around much. Figures, the kid never learned how to groom his wings properly and his parents certainly didn't give a rat's ass. They were barely in the country a week every four months when they were alive.

The kid had too many issues to ever truly settle with Bruce. Not like Jason could say anything. He hadn't either. He might have unpacked that go bag but he'd stored all kinds of nonperishables all over the house. Hell, he might still have a robin suit stashed away. 

Jason could never bring himself to reveal his wings so at least the kid had trusted Alfred with them. At least a little bit. 

He knew he could have trusted Alfred but he hadn't been ready to feel another pair of hands in his wings. His mom's hands had always been so gentle in his wings. He couldn't stand the feeling back then. Now it's a missed comfort.

He wasn't sure how to get the kid to trust him.

* * *

“Kid, mind grooming my wings?” Jason was once again standing at the end of the couch and Tim didn’t know how to feel. He was scared Jason would snap at him if he did it wrong. But what would he do if Tim refused?

Tim swallows hard “Sure.” He felt like he wanted to throw up. He moved his legs so Jason could sit down infront of him. Tim didn't know what to do. He had never really groomed his wings and he had never groomed someone else's. He didn't even know where to start. They already looked so good. The matte black uninterrupted by a feather out of place. He will mess it up.

He reached forward and started straightening out feathers and he felt his hands were shaking and he kept stopping and starting. He was doing a terrible job and Jason was gonna hurt him.

Tim knew wing grooming was supposed to be a soothing experience but he knew with his shoddy skills he would never truly make it relaxing. He was shaking too much and he was sure Jason could feel it with each touch.

Jason turned around when Tim's hands had truly stopped working. They refused to move and they wouldn't stop shaking. He didn't know what to do when Jason's hands touched his. He had expected Jason to start gripping too hard. 

But... It never came. He looked up at Jason's face and he looked guilty. He felt Jason's hand on his face and he was wiping away tears. When had Tim started crying?

Jason opened his arms wide like an invitation for a hug. It was a trick His fear hissed. He wasn't so sure. He bit the inside of his cheek and he couldn't stop himself from throwing himself into Jason's arms. He sobbed hard. He wanted to stop but he just couldn't make himself stop and let go. He stilled when he felt a hand in his hair and after a few seconds, he melted. His sobs slowed down eventually and he sniffled and held onto Jason a little longer than necessary. He just couldn't make his hands let go of Jason. They sat together for a long time until Jason sat up and looked at Tim, “I’m gonna make some lunch.”

Tim felt his chest ache. He wanted to be held more but he didn’t want to break the fragile trust that had started building. He felt a blanket wrap around him and that felt nice.

Tim settled into the couch, watching Jason move around in the kitchen. Something had loosened up in his chest. He just didn't feel as scared as before. Maybe he could trust Jason. Jason didn't seem so bad. He watched Jason not to see if he put something in the food but just watching him be in his element. He looked at home in the kitchen. It kind of reminded him of Dick amongst gymnastic equipment. It just looked natural.

When Jason brought over the food he didn't wait to start eating it. He noticed Jason pausing at seeing how much Tim didn't hesitate to eat. Jason smiled a little before he too started to eat.

* * *

Dick hoped he wasn't too late. He could feel the panic rushing through him. He opened the door to the apartment and stopped.

Tim…. was fine. He was sitting on the couch eating a sandwich. He looked better than fine. Tim looked well-rested, fed, even his wings were groomed.

Dick rushed over to Tim and pulled him into a hug. Tim patted Dick's back "What did he tell you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He told me he was gonna clip your wings and send them to the manor if I didn't get here fast enough."

Tim's face paled considerably. "He wouldn't….would he?"

Dick couldn't answer; he just held Tim tighter.


End file.
